Spy Shots: Mysterious Hyundai sedan spotted undisguised

[Bartek S.]

We're going to be perfectly blunt here: We're not sure what you are looking at. What appears to be a mysterious large Hyundai mule has been caught on Korea's Bobaedream website without any apparent disguise.

Shot both on public streets and in a parking garage, this mule appears to be Genesis-derived, with what looks like an identical greenhouse, mirrors, and doors, but distinct front and rear sheetmetal, along with unique fascias, light clusters, and a different grille. While the shots make the car out to be shorter and chunkier, looking at the size of the doors and the amount of sheetmetal between their leading and trailing edges and the wheel well openings leads us to believe that this is almost assuredly a reworked Genesis. The mystery machine certainly isn't terribly pretty, but it is less timid about its Hyundai branding, and the grille treatment does have some familial resemblance to it. Its size and shape would also seem to discount the much-anticipated Equus sedan, of which (very different looking) official sketches have already been released.

So what gives? The Genesis sedan hasn't been on sale anywhere for a full year yet, so it's probably too early to start prototype testing of the model's inevitable first facelift. Further, some of the changes appear to be sheetmetal-level, which is very expensive and less common, and new lights aren't exactly cheap, either. Could its more traditional grille point toward a new domestic-only model?

More: autoblog

 

[far2000]

Maybe The new Elantra?

 

[Yperion]

The new i40 (Sonata)?

The all-new Sonata YF is slated to debut in May 2009 and will go on sale in October next year.

2010 Hyundai YF (Sonata/i40) to be launched in May 2009 | Hyundai-Blog

 

[Sayyaaf]

Or Panamera ?

 

[Kowalski]

Maybe an ugly new Hyundai?

 

[Monster]

It is just a Hyundai Genesis with an ugly front and rear job. The side profile, the shape of the door, the boot, the boot shutline, it is just the same as the Genesis.

 

[cawimmer430]

Whatever it is, it looks terrible. The side profile looks pretty upscale but the distorted front and rear just ruin the whole thing. Terrible.

 

[Yperion]

Ι think that it looks Ok , i have seen many German cars that are uglier although i don't really like to mention them right now for obvious reasons.

 

[coolraoul]

Wow that is really bad-looking!! The Genesis is so much better it's not even funny! What is that thing?